Rob Weisberg is a volunteer firefighter in the state of NY. He happened to work across the street from the World Trade Center. When the Towers were hit, he made his way to a nearby fire station and offered his help. He ended up managing a fire station packed full of the injured and lost. Rob developed PTSD and after realizing how much his, “…family took it on the chin,” he decided to do something about it. He took on a mission of hiking the Appalachian Trail by himself. Rob shares with us his incredible “behind the scenes” story at 9/11 and his own personal aftermath. He also tells his incredibly and healing journey on the Appalachian trail. This one is a must listen, all the way to the end. And after, check out his incredible pictures of this journey on his facebook page listed below. www.facebook.com/RobWeisbergAppalachianTrailHike rgw164@outlook.com pawsofwar.org

Kyle, a firefighter with 11 years of service, is no longer on this planet because he was tormented by PTSD and had learned that it’s not ok to ask for help. Our guest, Kerrie Murphy, bravely shares her story of losing her younger brother Kyle. The ramifications of suicide are devastating to those left behind. In this episode you will learn the world is NOT better off with you gone. We must learn it is Okay to ask for help!!!! This story is heartbreaking but so much hope and life come from Kerrie’s story.

This is Part 2: Living Skills. In Part 1 we hear about all the trauma that Teri has beent through while keeping a big smile on her face. In this part 2 episode, Teri shares the rug getting pulled out from under her and then how she put her life back together. She talks with us about how falling into the darkest hole imaginable made it possible for her to transform a life of surviving into a life of living. She shares so many insights and endless inspiration. You will learn so much from this conversation. https://www.behavioralfitnesstoday.com https://www.christyewarren.com

This is truly a special 2 part episode with former EMT and then emergency room nurse then emergency room director Teri DeLaMontanya. Teri grew up in turmoil and trauma and learned to “make the most of it” in order to survive. Never allowing herself to feel pain or anger, Teri went through life just constantly moving forward and keeping that happy smile on her face - that is until the rug was pulled out in front of her. In this part 1 “Survival Skills,” Teri shares her childhood and adulthood story and how she developed the skills to survive. https://www.behavioralfitnesstoday.com https://www.christyewarren.com

James Beal is a paramedic for the Nashville Fire Department. Not only is he being incredibly brave by telling us his story, but he’s talking about it on a podcast — when one of his greatest vulnerabilities has been talking. He grew up with a stutter and childhood trauma. James tells his story with raw authenticity and has something everyone can learn from. You don't want to miss this one.

Lawerence Williams is a 21 year veteran with the Nashville Fire Department. He is as tough as they come. Lawerence struggled with alcohol and PTSD symptoms until he finally went to the IAFF PTSD recovery/rehab center. While there he thought the whole thing was "stupid" and planned on coming home. His wife told him either stay there and get better or don't bother coming home." He stuck it out and 30+ days later he left the Standard of Excellence center a man well on his way to recovery. Like so many of us, the shame and stigma kept him from accepting what was happening to him until he was about to lose everything.

Audra and Chelsi are two firefighter's wives and work-from-home mothers, with a combined 20+ years of experience as first responder spouses. They host a no-BS podcast, on a mission to break the stigma of mental health in first responders while amplifying the voices of their significant others. Together, they smash the negative feelings that come along with being a first responder family, replacing them with positive thoughts and compassionate curiosity. Tune into Dear Chiefs Podcast weekly for candid conversations with mental health experts and advocates and a first-hand look into fire family life with Audra + Chelsi. email: hello@dearchiefs.com website: http://www.dearchiefs.com instagram: www.instagram.com/dearchiefspodcast facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/dearchiefspodcast facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dearchiefspodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dearchiefspodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/DearChiefs

Retired firefighter and military guy Jim Madison is on the show. He is the epitome of resilience. That saying, it’s not how many times you fall down, but how many times you get up. Jim has had to get up off the floor MANY times. He has suffered multiple injuries on the job and has ended up in a wheelchair. That hasn’t stopped him. He races hand cycles and is going to compete in the Los Angeles marathon March 19th. This guy shows that as long as you don't give up you can keep living life and be happy. https://www.instagram.com/jim.madison.handcycle/ https://www.gofundme.com/f/disabled-veteran-handcycle-racer ranger_jim68@yahoo.com https://www.facebook.com/notlate.forsupper

Keith joins the podcast and shares how his life fell apart and after a diagnosis of Complex PTSI, he put it back together. His road to recovery included 6 suicide attempts. He shares incredible insight into what drives some to suicide. Keith Hanks is a retired Firefighter and EMT that dedicated 21 years of his life to the service of others. He serviced his community as a training officer, certified educator, and field training officer. Keith worked both inner-city EMS as well as fire. Like many in the first responder community the job has its cost. From childhood trauma, traumatic calls, the traumatic passing of his first wife and sexual abuse Keith has faced many trials and tragedies that resulted in self-harm, substance abuse, lies and multiple suicide attempts. After decades of damage Keith began to put the pieces of his life back together. Keith was diagnosed with Complex PTSI in 2015. The job, the service, his dedication caused this injury, and consequently his retirement. What PTSI didn’t change was the love and devotion to his community and to his fellow first responders. Keith has since dedicated his life to advocating for mental illness, substance and alcohol abuse recovery, and suicide awareness.

I had the honor of being a guest on the incredible podcast, A Slight Change of Plans hosted by cognitive scientist Maya Shanker. Apple named A Slight Change of Plans the best podcast of 2021 and it has over 10 million downloads and Dr. Shanker took the time to interview a retired firefighter/paramedic amongst all the celebrities and well known people she usually interviews. Her podcasts are nothing short of amazing. She puts an incredible amount of work into each one and nails the stories right on the head. I loved my time talking with her and she got my story exactly right. I hope you don't miss this one. You can find A Slight Change of Plans anywhere you get your podcasts. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-slight-change-of-plans/id1561860622 https://www.instagram.com/drmayashankar/ https://christyewarren.com